Friends
by PokeBunnie
Summary: Ash is 18 and is returning to Pallet after 3 years, but all he wants is to see Misty.  AaMrn.  Possible Adult situations in future chapters
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

***Disclaimer***

**Pokémon does NOT belong to me. I was simply inspired by Ash and Misty's characterizations in the show. Everything belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo, NOT ME!**

**Also, please note that **_**Friends**_** is separate from my other fics. It's a big girl now and can stand on it's own two legs!**

**Please Enjoy!**

Friends

Chapter 1 – Returning Home

"We're almost there Pikachu." Ash said happily. The little electric mouse squeaked excitedly as Ash scratched behind its ear. "It's been awhile, Pallet."

Ash hadn't seen Pallet Town in nearly three years. He had returned at the age of fourteen, after traveling the entire world in an effort to become Pokémon Master. The young trainer had remained in his hometown, working to build his confidence after failing to reach the number one spot in every league, except for the Orange League. He trained for a year, building his and his Pokémon's strength, skills, and strategy, and had set out to retrace his steps. Now, upon his return, Ash was eighteen and the youngest trainer to ever defeat every league around the world and every region's Elite Four.

Unlike his last stay at home, Ash now felt on top of the world, like he could go against anyone and anything and come out on top. He couldn't wait to get back into town to train even further so that he could finally compete in the Pokémon Champion Games to earn the title of Pokémon Master. He would have to compete against Cynthia, the trainer that had maintained her title for over eight years and still fought with her Garchomp. The idea made him shiver with trepidation and excitement. Before he could compete with her however, Ash was determined to find his old friend and rival, Gary Oak. As much as he hated to admit it, Ash knew that Gary was always better than him, with Pokémon, with training, with strategies, and he just seemed to have this never ending knowledge of the different species. The young, black haired trainer just couldn't match up to him before, but he was certain now that he could finally defeat Gary and his Umbreon.

Gary wasn't the only person Ash hoped to run into. He planned on saying hello to his mother and staying home for a few days before traveling to Cerulean to see Misty. The young trainer was hoping he would be able to convince her to leave the Gym for a bit and stay with him in Pallet to train for the Games. He hadn't seen her in nearly eight years so he was hoping to use that to his advantage. Ash wasn't able to write or call her much due to his extensive travels through the regions. Their lack of communication upset him greatly and he sorely missed her company and insight. He had always been upset since she had split away from him and Brock to take care of the Cerulean Gym. Of course he had several other friends along the way, but none like Misty. She was always so honest with him, speaking her heart, and he loved that she wasn't afraid to tell him exactly what she thought, due to the fact that that had helped him become a better trainer in the long run. Brock was always there for him, of course, throughout the entire eight years of his journeys. When they had first met each other, Brock had been five years older than Ash, so as much as they tried to connect throughout their time together, Ash never truly felt like he could relate to Brock and occasionally felt as if Brock only stuck around to chaperone.

Ash stood up from his spot on the hill overlooking Pallet Town. He stretched with a loud moan and allowed Pikachu to jump up and rest upon his shoulder. "Alright buddy," he said excitedly. "Let's get down there, say hello and leave as soon as possible for Cerulean." Pikachu squeaked loudly as its trainer began taking the hill at a sprint. "Hold on!" Ash yelled. He wanted to get to Pallet as fast as he could. Before he knew it, Pallet Town was growing bigger and his house was growing closer. With a final sprint, Ash raced up to the front door and threw it open.

"I'm home!" Ash yelled, looking around the empty living room.

"Pi_ka_chu!" The little yellow animal yelled just as loudly as he jumped from Ash's shoulder and ran through the house.

Just as quickly as Ash had arrived, he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug by his mother.

"Oh Ash!" She cried. "I've missed you so much! I can't believe you're actually home. My how you have grown!"

Ash's muffled complaint, "Mom!" came quietly from her shoulder as he struggled for breath.

Delia quickly let go, but still remained within hugging distance. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the kitchen. "C'mon Ash! I've gotten you a surprise! Oh, you're gonna love this!"

"Ah, Mom," Ash began. "You didn't need to get me anything, just some food would have been grea-"

He cut himself off, however, once his eyes landed upon his "surprise" standing in the small kitchen.

"Well, Hello Mr. Ash Ketchum." The thin redhead said coyly. "It's nice to finally see you after so long."

"Misty?" Ash sputtered. "Why are you here?"

His mother laughed. "I thought I'd invite your girlfriend to your homecoming, Ash! Don't tell me you're upset."

"Mrs. Ketchum," Misty began, "Please, we're not dating. We're just-"

"Friends." Ash finished, staring into Misty's eyes in shock.

**A/N:**

**All right fellow Pokémon fans - especially AaMrn fans ;) – Here's the first chapter to my new fanfic. Just to reiterate, this is **_**NOT**_** a continuation of my other fics, this is a new story, standing free all on its own.**

**Please Please Please REVIEW! **

**As much as I appreciate and LOVE the author favorites and story favorites, there's nothing more disheartening than having a bunch of story views, but no reviews.**

**I used to say this as a joke, "No Reviews, No Fics!" but I've realized that it's true. When a writer doesn't receive any feedback – good or bad – they don't want to write. :(**

**Also, I thought it'd be fun to involve the readers a bit more. Remember those "Choose your ending" books? Well, I thought that I'd give you guys a few chapters as a basis, and then depending on your reviews and ideas about what you want to see happen next, I'd continue the next few chapters in that given direction.**

**So please, keep reading and REVIEW!**

**Thank you everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

***Disclaimer***

**Pokémon does NOT belong to me. I was simply inspired by Ash and Misty's characterizations in the show. Everything belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo, NOT ME!**

**Also, please note that **_**Friends**_** is separate from my other fics. It's a big girl now and can stand on it's own two legs!**

**Please Enjoy!**

Friends

Chapter 2 - Getting it at Last

Ash ran his hands through his hair as he stood under the stream of hot water. He sighed comfortably as the water cascaded from his head down his back, arms, and legs, soothing his tired muscles. He hadn't had the luxury of a shower since Pewter City, nearly three weeks ago. The trainer wiped the water from his eyes and reached for the soap. While he continued to enjoy the soothing effects of the water, his mind wandered to Misty.

He still couldn't believe that she was here, in his house. When his mom had left them alone in the kitchen, he had stood there in awkward silence, unable to think of anything to say. Misty had broken the silence by teasing him about his travel-worn state and suggesting he clean up. He had flushed a deep red and practically ran upstairs to disappear into the bathroom. Why did she make him feel like this? She never had this effect on him before. Maybe it was the short skirt she wore that had caught his attention. The way it revealed her long, slender legs, forcing his eyes to roam to the hem that began just below her shapely butt. Or maybe his breath had caught when he saw how much she had grown into a young woman under her figure hugging, yellow shirt.

Ash shook his head to clear his mind, spraying the walls of the shower in shampoo foam.

That was no way to think about his best friend. Was she still his best friend? He felt horrible that he hadn't contacted her in almost eight years. He was sure that she was going to have something to say about that later.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door. "Ash?" Delia's voice carried through. "You're guests are going to be arriving soon, you better hurry up."

"Okay, Mom!" He called back. "I'll be right out."

Ash stepped out of the stall, grabbing a towel and quickly drying off. "Well," he sighed, looking in the mirror at his tanned face, giving himself a kind of pep talk. "Here we go, don't goof up."

The party was small, for which Ash was thankful. The guests included Misty, his Grandmother, Professor Oak, Tracey, and a few of his old friends from town. Delia, with the help of Mr. Mime, had prepared all of the food, which everyone consumed quickly and eagerly.

For the main part of the evening, Ash stood in the middle of the living room retelling some of his most favorite and interesting adventures, while everyone sat around, listening intently. To Ash's delight, Misty chimed in quite frequently, proving that nearly all of his stories took place while he was traveling with her and Brock.

As the evening wore on, and most of the guest began to depart, Ash couldn't help but notice that Misty's eyes always seemed to be on him. When he walked his Grandmother to the door and gave her a big hug and a kiss, the hair on the back of his neck was prickling and he could practically feel Misty's gaze boring into his back.

"Well," he said, turning to face her at last. "It looks like it's just you and me now."

Misty nodded with a slight smile. "Looks like it."

Ash walked over to where she was sitting and reached out a hand, "C'mon," he said quietly. "Why don't we go for a walk. I want to hear everything you've been up to."

The red head looked at his hand tentatively before placing her hand in his. Ash smiled as he pulled her out of the chair. Her hand felt warm and soft in his and he didn't want to let go, but Misty quickly retracted hers as she stood up.

"Well, where to?" She asked, eyeing him coyly.

Ash's smile changed to a flirtatious smirk, "Oh, I know the perfect spot."

"You know," Ash started, as he wrapped his arm around Misty's shoulder in brotherly affection, keeping his steps in time with hers. "You've gotten a lot shorter."

The Gym Leader laughed and brushed Ash's arm off. "No, you've just gotten taller."

"I suppose." he said with a smile. "Here we are!"

Misty laughed as Ash flopped lazily upon the grass, his gaze drifting over the open water.

She sat beside him and removed her shoes to dip her feet into the cool water. "Is this another way to Cinnabar island?"

"Yeah," Ash sighed as he rested on his back, his head in his hands. "I used to swim out here when I was little. I always tried to use the Pokémon here to carry me to the island, but I never could."

Misty was silent as she stared at the reflection of the stars in the black water.

"So," the black haired trainer started again. "What's been up, Misty?"

She turned to look at him, her face blank. "Why didn't you ever call me? Why did you just drop me?"

Ash sat up and put a hand lightly on Misty's back. "Misty, I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Ash Ketchum."

"I know," he started again. "It's just that I was so busy-"

"Busy for eight years?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't find a single moment in all of the Pokémon Centers around the world to give me a quick phone call?"

Ash lowered his head and his hand dropped back into his lap. "I know, I'm sorry Misty. I don't have an excuse."

Misty began giggling loudly and reached out a hand to pat Ash's knee. "Oh, it's okay you big dummy. I'm just giving you a hard time."

His looked up stunned. There was good ol' Misty, changing her emotions at the drop of a hat. "O-okay." He stammered.

She smiled and laid on her back to continue stargazing. "So, to answer your previous question, I'm still the Cerulean Gym Leader and haven't taken a break since I left you and Brock."

Ash stared at her in confusion for a moment before joining her in the cool grass. "How are the shows going?"

"What shows- Oh! My sisters are long gone. They left about six years ago, leaving me in charge of everything. I had to stop the shows because I just couldn't keep up with everything."

"Where are they now?"

"All three of them got married and have kids now." she said with a laugh. "I'm Aunt Missy now."

"Missy?"

"None of 'em can pronounce the 't.'"

Ash laughed with her. He turned his head to look at her in the starlight. He steeled himself for his next question, but wasn't sure why he felt the need. "What about you, Misty?"

"What about me?" She asked after a second of hesitation.

"Well," he started, more quietly. "You know, your sister's are married-"

"Oh, I'm not married!" Misty said quickly.

Ash released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"No," the red head continued. "I don't think my boyfriend is quite ready for marriage yet."

"B-boyfriend?" Ash stuttered, sitting up and hovering over Misty in the dark.

She shrugged. "Of course. You're not going to like who it is though." She added with a small giggle.

The trainer raised his eyebrow. "Who is it?"

"Gary Oak." Misty said, looking closely at Ash's reaction.

"Misty!" Ash blurted loudly. "Why- How- Why would you- How-"

Misty rolled her eyes. "Listen, Ash. Just because he's your rival doesn't mean he's a bad guy. He's actually quite sweet."

"I don't care if he's sweet!" Ash sputtered. "You know how I feel about the guy. He's always one-upping me!"

Misty sighed in exasperation. "What do you mean, one-upping you Ash."

"W-well," he stuttered. "He always beats me in battles and he's always been the ladies man, and now he has you."

"Ash," Misty started. "C'mon, I've heard you've become quite the ladies man in the last couple years. You're always on the cover of those magazines."

"But," Ash said quietly. "I never had anything with any of them. They weren't... right."

"So you just used them?"

"No," he said quickly. "I was just looking for the right one, I just... never-"

Misty stared up at Ash as he leaned over her. "Never what, Ash?"

"I never realized what was right."

"Ash," Misty said tiredly. "You're not making any se-"

The kiss was light. Her lips were so soft and sweet, Ash had a hard time resisting the need to touch them. He needed to experience her. He laid down closer her, deepening the kiss. Ash sighed quietly as he felt her arms wrap around his neck and his heart jumped as he felt her hand weave through his messy hair. She felt so good against him.

A sudden shock of pain went through his skull as Misty tugged his head up by the hair.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed.

"I thought," Ash said startled. "I thought I'd finally gotten it right."

"I just told you I have a boyfriend, Ash!" Misty squirmed out from under him and quickly grabbed her shoes before taking off toward the Ketchum house.

"Was I wrong?" Ash called after her. "I thought I got it." He said to himself, putting a hand to his chest to calm his frantic heart.

**A/N:**

**Well, the kiss wasn't going to come until later, but I couldn't resist!**

**Review comments and thanks:**

**CaRiBbEaN QuEeN****- Thank you so much for your review! You were the first :) I decided that I wanted to make Mrs. Ketchum so blind to the fact that they aren't dating but with the motherly foresight that they are perfect for each other! haha**

**craztente**** - Thank you for your review! I really appreciate your feedback! I'm happy you thought this was a strong beginning. :)**

**Kitsune8757**** - Thank you for your review! I thank you for taking the time to write me one, it helps to keep me going!**

**lil-miss-pokémon**** - yay! I'm happy you like the idea of the "choose your ending." :) I thought it'd be a nice change of pace. haha Plus, that way I can never use the excuse "writer's block."**

**Thank you for your reviews!**

**Chapter three will be the last chapter I write freely and then I will provide options for how to continue the next chapter. So keep your eyes and minds open for new ideas!**

**Would you guys like longer chapters? Or is short and sweet working for you? Let me know. :)**

**Please Please Please REVIEW! It's keeps me going :)**

**So please, keep reading and REVIEW!**

**Thank you everyone!**


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